Inbound Marketing Strategies that Are Changing the Rules of the Game

What is inbound marketing? This question is likely to get several different responses when asked to a group of SEO gurus or marketing specialists. The fact is, that no matter what you think it is, how you use it makes all the difference. This is an aspect of marketing that is always changing and evolving. As a result, to ensure that your efforts are relevant you must adapt to these changes and learn how to incorporate them into your marketing plan.

Here are some of the latest discoveries about inbound marketing that are truly changing the game.

Efforts are Quickly Gaining Traction in Mainstream Marketing Methods

Inbound marketing efforts are now being taken seriously by the entire industry, which means that it is quickly gaining traction. It has been estimated that up to 58 percent of all size companies plan to utilize some sort of inbound marketing strategy this year. Additionally, up to 48 percent plan to increase the amount of money they are spending on this effort.

Inbound Marketing Efforts are Delivering on ROI Promises

This has proven as an effective method of lead generation that is actually cheaper than the more traditional methods! There are actually several marketers who claim that inbound marketing efforts will deliver a below average cost for each lead when compared to outbound strategies. Additionally, inbound methods are producing up to 54 percent more leads, than the more traditional outbound methods.

The Methods of Traditional Marketing are Fading as Inbound Methods are Steadily Rising

Just in the past six months fewer marketers have used a reduced amount of traditional marketing methods, such as direct mail, commercials and other paid advertisements.

The Efforts of Inbound Marketing can be Better Tracked, Defined and Measured

While these efforts are easy to track, there are still an astonishing 34 percent of businesses that cannot or do not bother to figure out their overall inbound ROI.

Content is not a Standalone Inbound Marketing Component

Having great content alone will not transform your marketing efforts. In fact, there are a very low percentage of marketers that are actually even concerned with the creation of quality content. Recent polls have shown that these marketers have ranked finding and conversion of leads and taking time to identify the proper target audience were more important.

Modern Inbound Methods have Created a Smarter Way to Work

There have been substantial conversions due to the blogs that companies use. While the blog requires attention and staff all of the time, it is a minimal amount of the company’s actual marketing budget.

Inbound Marketing is Highly Customer Based

Inbound marketing is fully focused on the behaviors and needs of the customers. This approach is clearly aligned with the important and proven customer-centric approach. Due to the fact that consumers have more choices than ever before, it is more important than ever to encourage them to interact with your brand. Also, you cannot focus on one specific method, but instead think of the entire customer experience. This strategy will ensure the integration of consumers across several platforms so that the sums of your marketing efforts are actually greater than the individual parts.

It is Important to be Up to the Challenge of Inbound Marketing Strategies

Most inbound marketing teams consist of fewer than six individuals. The actual small team environment is conducive to a successful marketing strategy. This also means that you must be willing to work as part of a team to achieve marketing success.

You Should Not Integrate Inbound Marketing as a “Side Project”

If you want to succeed with your inbound marketing strategy you need to ensure that you dedicated a large amount of time, resources and commitment to get it right. An inbound marketing strategy should not be used as a quick fix, and your company will not have success simply by hiring an inbound expert.

In order to achieve successful inbound strategies, you must focus the marketing practices such as staying true to the core customer and tracking the lead generation goals that you have. The strategies of inbound marketing are focused on the creation of quality content that will actually entice people to come to your company or brand. When you align your content with what you publish for your customer’s interests, you will naturally attract more inbound traffic that you can convert and close over a period of time.